Cast Iron or Cast Steel: Which is Better?

Cast iron or Cast steel: Which is better? Enough talk. We compared which of the two exhibits the best strength and properties. All pros and cons laid out!

Cast iron and cast steel have each of their own important role in industrial applications, but there is an existing argument to which is better – is it cast iron or cast steel?

The casting method applied to all types of materials is highly essential in the production since it can offer an exceptional design which eliminates the need for fabrication and additional assemblies. There are actually a lot of materials applicable for casting including those of metal and synthetic types. The most popular among all are iron and steel which both exhibit exceptional mechanical properties good for ranging applications.

Both feature excellent characteristics, but it also important to know material’s advantages and disadvantages though, as summed up in the table below:

Material

Advantage

Disadvantage

Cast Iron

Good casting properties

Good wear resistance

Good machinability

Good vibration damping

Low notch sensitivity

Low tensile strength and elongation

High cost for production

Complex production process

Cast Steel

Design flexibility

Allows hollow cross-section parts and complex shape formation

Strong variability

Superior mechanical properties

Has bad shake-suction

Low wear resistance

Low casting performance and mobility

Has higher cost compared to cast iron

As we reveal the difference between the two materials (both their pros and cons), we can already think where they should be perfectly suited depending on the kind of environment or pressure – as long as both materials can both do the best job. What matters most upon the performance of these materials is their composition and phase structure which can affect their mechanical properties. There are elements like graphite flakes present in iron composition and these flakes cause iron’s brittleness, for example.

Yet, there has already been a method of adding many types of alloy steel and iron in order to achieve those desired mechanical and physical properties. To mention a few, elements like chromium which adds more corrosion resistance and manganese which increases toughness are added to the material. All alloying elements have each of their own contribution to the material’s overall better performance.

These materials both have their advantages and disadvantages, but they are still eminently used in a wide variety of applications.

If you want more information how these cast iron and cast steel can further help with your future project, contact us to be assisted today!